(Retro) What have you been playing this week?

[noobish hat]

Ok, so what I thought was this; the 'what have you been playing this week' thread is mostly just full of lists of games, which is boring. It's ok for modern games, cos they have their own first play thread in which people can actually discuss them. Not so for retro. Why don't we retroheads have a thread of our own then?

Let's not have posts consisting only of game titles, tell us what you think of them.


I've been playing Mario and Luigi RPG since I finished Advance Wars. Really enjoying it so far, love the bold graphics and stuff, but there are some things that are really pissing me off. The controls are horrendous! I guess it's thanks to the gba's only having two face buttons, but controlling two characters at once is a pain in the ass. Switching between spin jumps and high jumps and hammers and stuff is just annoying as all hell. I've only played it for a couple of hours, so I'm hoping I'll get used to it, but at the moment it's so bothersome, constantly switching, I'm always using the wrong jump or something and just waiting while Luigi bounces up and down on Mario's head when all I wanted to do was walk up some simple steps.

The other thing is the perspective is awful; you can never tell where something is located with relation to the foreground and the background, which just ruins the fluidity of playing, since it is so paramount to the gameplay. You have to jump on enemies to get an advantage in battle, but it's so hard to line it up with this psuedo-3d style top-down perspective. It's also a pain when you're having to land in tornados or lining up jumps between platforms, cos you're never sure what the height is.

Sounds like some big problems, but it's a testament to the game that I'm still enjoying it. There's a perfect balance between battling and platforming. I really do hope I get used to these problems though. One other thing I've noticed though is that a lot of the Nintendo references and in-jokes aren't present in the Japanese version, or at least not that I can understand.

Did anyone else notice these problems when they played it? Did they get mentioned in the original reviews? (Cue Charles or David linking to the ntsc-uk review, well not today boys http://www.bordersdown.net/review.ph...ame=MarioLuigi , I beat you to it).

[Mayhem]

Well as I wrote the NTSC-UK review... I decided to have a re-read of it. Regarding the second point, there is failure to mention that I would agree with you occasionally when lining a jump between platforms it was a bit tricky. Never had an issue jumping on enemies to start a battle though.

[noobish hat]

ok, what the hell is the deal with the tanuki goombas? are they supposed to be invincible?

[noobish hat]

getting better aquainted with the controls now. not sure what it is I like so much about this game; maybe that it feels quite snes-like, almost link to the past-ish.

[JazzFunk]

Back into Max Payne on GBA. I got stuck, nearly a year back, back in January or thereabouts, on a level that has fire blazing out of pipes, and you have to time your movements to get past, otherwise you're f*cked. Let's just say that Max Payne on GBA is isometric, in an 'Ultimate Play The Game'-stylee, and the collision detection is "questionable" in parts (especially fiery pipe parts) and the up-down controls are pretty sodded. I still haven't conquered that level but enjoy the visceral feel of the game, the sound effects are proper blitzy, proper punch-in-the-gut-y, it's so much more satisfying than the 'superior' PC/XB versions of the game, and the crackly, noirish speech throughout ladles on the grit and dark.

It's such a nice feeling game, and though there's not that much detail, really, when pressing 'R' to go into bullet time, with a shotgun in tow, it really feels like you're blowing the guts out of a bad guy. Gaming catharsis at its best.

[egparadigm]

Been playing Goldeneye on 00 Agent for the last couple of weeks. First time in 60Hz and RGB.

Just now I decided to have a go at the control room before getting started on an essay I have to write. I'm so glad I did, because I did it first time!! When I was playing it as a teenager I always fupped it up when it got to the "protect Natalya" bit. I used an old trick - blow up the mines on the mainframes when the blokes start running in. For some reason, there were a lot less men coming out after that and it was a piece of piss. Luckily I managed to get to the lift without dying.

What makes this most ridiculous is that I took a lot longer to do easier levels like Silo and Jungle.

[TheForce]

Banjo Kazooie on xbla , I still own it on US N64 , so I never intended to actually buy it again, it just wanted to see how it looked like on 360, before I knew it I was enjoying it and bought it and was playing it all evening again ! it was great to play again! this is how a platform game should be !

also played a bit of Rygar and Shinobi on MAME

[vertigo]

monomaniacpat: do you find that you're less or more gung-ho than you were about Goldeneye than when you played it first time around? I seem to be a much more careful player now, which affects my success rate when it comes to things like the train level. Incidentally I have still never managed the train on 00 Agent because I can't shoot the baddies at the end to add a bit of time to the clock. I've made it out a couple of times but then Natalya gets blown up, got the hatch down to about 13 or 14 seconds but clearly still too slow.

Lately I've been playing Speccy games to help someone out with a video, also been playing Yoshi's Island again and Castlevania 4. If the GC can be considered retro I also played Pikmin and Gun this week.
Do Mega Man 9 and DQ4 DS count?

[egparadigm]

Just completed 00 Agent for the first time (IIRC)!

Bee-o-wee-wee-ee-wow!

monomaniacpat: do you find that you're less or more gung-ho than you were about Goldeneye than when you played it first time around? I seem to be a much more careful player now, which affects my success rate when it comes to things like the train level.

Yes, I am more cautious in general. Although the funny thing about GE is that it requires different aproaches in different situations. Sometimes you'll get constamtly regenerating enemies in a small cul-de-sac and in that situation, caution goes out the window. The end of the Jungle and Caverns levels are particularly annoying for this.

One of the best techniques I've learnt this time around is to "rush" enemies. If you get up close (and personal) they won't be able to shoot you as their guns will be pointing through your body.

Incidentally I have still never managed the train on 00 Agent because I can't shoot the baddies at the end to add a bit of time to the clock. I've made it out a couple of times but then Natalya gets blown up, got the hatch down to about 13 or 14 seconds but clearly still too slow.

If you slide over to the right hand side of the cabin you should find it very easy to shoot both Ouremov and Xenya repeatedly - sometimes the aim on the N64 joystick can be a little irritating on manual.

Also, I remember using this technique on my PAL copy, but I'm not sure if it made much difference this time round. If you constantly tap the START button during dialogue, it should speed up the process somewhat. I remember having to use this to get the invisibility cheat on Archives (which, incidentally, is my favourite level).

It is literally impossible without the extra time on 00 Agent, though, so that should be your first priority. I found that you had to shoot Xenya until she was all the way down before it made any difference. You should be alright simply running out of the hole - don't worry too much about the baddies, just side-step/run.

[vertigo]

Thanks, I'll remember that and dig it out next time I'm at my mum's place.

[Tetsuo]

You have to shoot Xenia directly in the head to get the extra time needed. You'll notice the time bomb doesn't get activated for a good 20 secs if you do it correctly.

This week I've been playing as Dash Rendar in Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire (Jap) on the N64. Despite the fiddly controls in places, I'm really enjoying this. There's an excellent variety in the type of levels on offer (there's been 3rd person, racing and 3D space shooter types so far) the Star Wars 'feel' is definitely there, and it all runs nice and smoothly too (even though it was one of the first games released for the system - 1996 I think).

[egparadigm]

Yeah, Shadows is a bit under-rated. Enjoyed it back in the day. Played the first couple of levels recently, but don't think I could play the whole game again. Very atmospheric - especially the later levels in the Emperor's throne room.

You should have a go at unlocking the debug menu. You have to hold down a load of buttons and use your chin (if you don't have a friend) to move the control stick one half-tilt left, right, etc. It's bonkers!

[Cauterize]

Secret of Mana!
Im finishing all my SNES RPGs before the batteries juice runs out and my saves go bye byes!

[importaku]

Due to me getting the amiga emulator working on wii i had a blast through a couple of my favourite amiga games.

Nightshift by lucasarts is still an all time favourite, back when lucasarts meant quality original games not the **** starwars cookie cutter clones they churn out now, very good puzzler basically you control a giant machine that makes lucasarts toys, each part of the machine controls a bit of the process you have to go around fixing all the faults as they occur, while trying to churn out your quota of indy dolls & various other lucasarts characters as you progress you have access to more parts of the machine until your in total charge of the lot & have an obscene amount of dials & levers to tweak. As it gets more complex you have to mix the plastic, select the molds, then mix the paint while trying to make sure all the conveyor belts & everything else is moving correctly, dosent help when the lemmings start messing with the switches but you can select the vacum & hoover the little buggers up.



Originally the game came with a lovely huge manual explaining how the machine worked, playing the rom was only half the fun i eventually tracked down a real copy just to get the box & paperwork LOL

Oh also played monty pythons flying circus a rather fun & surreal platformer

[BigDeadFreak]

I've mainly been working throught my PS2 and Game Cube collection recently but every now and then I have to stop for a couple of hours of retro gaming. At the moment Layer Section on the Saturn has been the focus of my nostalgic attentions.
I'm not opposed to medern games but I feel there's always a lack of precision in the majority of 3D games. It seems like I can achieve through luck far more in something like Devil May Cry than I can in it's 2D equivalent (SoR, Golden Axe etc.). There's something extremely cathartic about the precise destruction involved in a game like Layer Section and I just don't see it replicated in the modern, 3D games.
For those that have never played it, Layer Section is not the hardest of old school shoot 'em-ups (although I still haven't completed it) but the all round package is excellent. The soundtrack is undoubtedly the highlight and, IMO, music is far more important than graphics in this genre. It is also really 'spacey' and it really feels like I'm playing the lead role in an old Saturday morning cartoon. There's also some nice visual effects with seeing your ship decending through a planets atmosphere a particular highlight.